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•features O r fn b p r 3 . 1 QQ^
Stevens: a history of longevity
CARLEEN TREPPE &
KATHLEEN CREAMER
staff writers
Dr. L. Tomlin Stevens is St.
Mary’s hidden treasure. He is
an influential member of the
faculty of St. Mary’s College,
yet his name is not widely rec­ognized
among non-history
majors. In addition to Legacy
courses, Dr. Stevens teaches
several courses in American
history. As the history depart­ment
chair, he has helped to
develop the history curricu­lum
and is continuing to in­fluence
the program as St.
Mary’s adapts to its position
as a public honors college. He
is the only full professor of his­tory
at St. Mary’s College who
teaches full-time and has been
an important influence on this
campus for 26 years.
This 54-year-old Ohio native
earned his BA in history from
the University of Chicago, his
MA from Western Reserve
University (now Case Western
Reserve), and his PhD from
Ohio State University in 1969.
That same year he was offered
a teaching position here at St.
Mary’s. He explains his initial
attraction to SMC by stating
that it is a small liberal arts
college in the tradition of his
alma mater, U. of Chicago. A
liberal arts education is some­thing
tha t Dr. Stevens feels is
very valuable and has been an
active participant in the lib­eral
arts in one way or another
for many years.
When discussing his devo­tion
to history, Dr. Stevens
admits th a t he never really
felt a “burning desire as a
young child” to study history.
In fact, in high school, he was
more interested in chemistry
th an history. However, like
many college students, when
it came time for him to declare
a major a t th e end of his
sophomore year at Chicago,
history was the subject he
liked best. It is not much more
than a matter of personal pref­erence
for Dr. Stevens. Al­though
very active in the his-
“I could stay
another ten
years and be
very happy.”
-Dr. Stevens
tory department, Dr. Stevens
also plays a large role in the
direction of the college as a
whole.
Dr. Stevens feels th a t the
college had been evolving for
several years into its position
as an honors college. He points
out th a t “we weren’t given
th a t designation because we
were going to become an hon­ors
college, we were given that
recognition for where we were
already going.” He fu rth e r
explains th a t St. Mary’s has
been developing into an hon­ors
college for many years
prior to its designation by the
state as an honors college. For
example, the history major
has always carried the re ­quirement
of a senior research
project, in addition to the se­nior
seminar. The establish­ment
of a senior research
project for all majors was a
serious topic of discussion on
Honors College Day.
There has been a noticeable
improvement in the academic
potential and eagerness to
learn in the student body over
the years, Dr. Stevens claims.
However, he is concerned that
students may be becoming
more concerned about the cre­dentials
of the ir education
than its quality. “Sometimes,”
he says, “I get the feeling that
if I tell a student that your as­signment
is to jump off a high
building to be sure to get an
A, then students will go and
jump off a high building.”
However, he notes th a t the
increasing popularity of inde­pendent
design majors and
internships does indicate that
this attitude is beginning to
change and tha t students are
beginning to take more re ­sponsibility
for their own edu­cations.
In addition to his position as
history department chair, Dr.
Stevens is a member of the
search committee for a new
president. This is a difficult
task, he explains, because of
the large and highly qualified
pool of applicants. In fact, he
History Professor L. Tomlin Stevens
PHOTO BY CARLEEN TREPPE
and the other members had to
screen over 300 candidates, an
unusually large number for a
school this size. “Our consult­ing
firm said a college our size
usually gets 75 to 100 appli­cations,”
explains Dr. Stevens.
Dr. Stevens admits th a t he
will be sorry to see President
Lewis leave, although he is
optimistic tha t the committee
will be successful in selecting
a well-qualified president.
“There is a general sense of
regret th a t Lewis is leaving,”
Dr. Stevens says, “because he
is associated with the progress
this school has made in the
last twelve years.” Dr. Stevens
hopes to find a candidate who
has good public relations skills
as well as accessibility to fac­ulty
and students.
In terms of his future with
the college, this history icon
is somewhat uncertain. He
will be eligible for retirement
in four years, but at this time
does not want to retire soon.
However, he does admit tha t
the option to re tire will be
nice. “I enjoy my life here,” he
says, “I could stay another ten
years and be very happy.”
Club Spotlight Pagan Student Union Explores New Realms
MEG ZORN
staff reporter
You may have seen
their signs; 8.5" x 11" fliers
tha t launch into a long list of
spiritual beliefs and religions,
some of which you may know
about, but others which you
may have n ever h e a rd of.
These labels: Shamanism, Na­tive
American Religions, Cer­emonial
Magic, Buddhism,
Hinduism, Voodoun, Wicca,
and D ru id ism , among
others,embody only a cross-section
of the many strains of
beliefs and ideologies you will
find a t the Pagan S tud en t
Union (PSU); many members
have deep roots in th e se
faiths. Several other members
are simply people whose be­liefs
do not specifically fall
under any traditional category
or label but have joined the
group because they like to ex­plore
others’ beliefs and ex­change
ideas with people in a
free and open forum. “I don’t
get judged,” explains senior
Patrick McNabb, “Anyone can
belong to PSU.”
The Pagan Student
Union was begun la st year,
informally, as a group of
friends with similar spiritual
and ideological interests who
wanted to seek out others who
shared those pursuits, as well
as to educate people about
what Paganism truly is. Ironi­cally,
even in their efforts to
establish the club, Pagan stu­dents
were confronted with
opposition and resistance. The
SGA approved PSU’s charter
only after considerable debate
and also by a very narrow
margin of two votes. Most of
the a rguments around the
PSU were c entered on
whether or not the club would
be good for the image of the
school. “Merlin” Hanson, one
of the founders of the club who
stood before the SGA at the
hearing, feels that much ofthe
opposition is rooted in several
elements. For one, many non-
Pagans do not consider Pagan
religions to be truly “legiti­mate”
or as worthy of recog­nition
as more mainstream
religions. Others simply op­pose
a lte rn a tiv e religious
scopes based on fear of Pagan­ism,
mistaking Wiccans and
others for Satanists. “A lot of
people think of us as evil, Sa-tan
-w o rsh ip in g baby-slaughterers,”
says Merlin,
who also maintains tha t if the
SGA had not approved the
PSU charter, he and others
may have taken legal action
against the school.
However, many mem­bers
remain optimistic about
student response to the PSU,
believing tha t much of the stu­dent
body is open-minded and
unprejudiced enough to accept
the club. The group hopes to
promote student acceptance
and understanding of Pagan­ism
by working with other stu­dent
groups on several activi­ties
in the future, including
charity can-food drives, panel
discussions, and o th e r
projects. Upcoming activities
in their agenda include PSU’s
sponsorship of Ghost Day on
October 16th ofAlcohol Aware­ness
Week, where people sym­bolically
assume the personae
of “ghosts” in memory of those
who have died in alcohol- re­lated
accidents. In addition,
the PSU hopes to sponsor a
Halloween panel discussion
intended to educate and pro­mote
interest in the tradi­tions
and roots of the holi­day.
On a more informal
basis, PSU members often
gather at locales and restau­rants
simply to share coffee
and conversation.
The Pagan Student
Union, led by Carolyn Proc­tor,
meets Thursday eve­nings
at 9 o’clock in Lower
Charles Hall, for those inter­ested.
All religious and
sp iritu a l s tra in s are wel­come.
A traditonal Wiccan symbol

•features O r fn b p r 3 . 1 QQ^
Stevens: a history of longevity
CARLEEN TREPPE &
KATHLEEN CREAMER
staff writers
Dr. L. Tomlin Stevens is St.
Mary’s hidden treasure. He is
an influential member of the
faculty of St. Mary’s College,
yet his name is not widely rec­ognized
among non-history
majors. In addition to Legacy
courses, Dr. Stevens teaches
several courses in American
history. As the history depart­ment
chair, he has helped to
develop the history curricu­lum
and is continuing to in­fluence
the program as St.
Mary’s adapts to its position
as a public honors college. He
is the only full professor of his­tory
at St. Mary’s College who
teaches full-time and has been
an important influence on this
campus for 26 years.
This 54-year-old Ohio native
earned his BA in history from
the University of Chicago, his
MA from Western Reserve
University (now Case Western
Reserve), and his PhD from
Ohio State University in 1969.
That same year he was offered
a teaching position here at St.
Mary’s. He explains his initial
attraction to SMC by stating
that it is a small liberal arts
college in the tradition of his
alma mater, U. of Chicago. A
liberal arts education is some­thing
tha t Dr. Stevens feels is
very valuable and has been an
active participant in the lib­eral
arts in one way or another
for many years.
When discussing his devo­tion
to history, Dr. Stevens
admits th a t he never really
felt a “burning desire as a
young child” to study history.
In fact, in high school, he was
more interested in chemistry
th an history. However, like
many college students, when
it came time for him to declare
a major a t th e end of his
sophomore year at Chicago,
history was the subject he
liked best. It is not much more
than a matter of personal pref­erence
for Dr. Stevens. Al­though
very active in the his-
“I could stay
another ten
years and be
very happy.”
-Dr. Stevens
tory department, Dr. Stevens
also plays a large role in the
direction of the college as a
whole.
Dr. Stevens feels th a t the
college had been evolving for
several years into its position
as an honors college. He points
out th a t “we weren’t given
th a t designation because we
were going to become an hon­ors
college, we were given that
recognition for where we were
already going.” He fu rth e r
explains th a t St. Mary’s has
been developing into an hon­ors
college for many years
prior to its designation by the
state as an honors college. For
example, the history major
has always carried the re ­quirement
of a senior research
project, in addition to the se­nior
seminar. The establish­ment
of a senior research
project for all majors was a
serious topic of discussion on
Honors College Day.
There has been a noticeable
improvement in the academic
potential and eagerness to
learn in the student body over
the years, Dr. Stevens claims.
However, he is concerned that
students may be becoming
more concerned about the cre­dentials
of the ir education
than its quality. “Sometimes,”
he says, “I get the feeling that
if I tell a student that your as­signment
is to jump off a high
building to be sure to get an
A, then students will go and
jump off a high building.”
However, he notes th a t the
increasing popularity of inde­pendent
design majors and
internships does indicate that
this attitude is beginning to
change and tha t students are
beginning to take more re ­sponsibility
for their own edu­cations.
In addition to his position as
history department chair, Dr.
Stevens is a member of the
search committee for a new
president. This is a difficult
task, he explains, because of
the large and highly qualified
pool of applicants. In fact, he
History Professor L. Tomlin Stevens
PHOTO BY CARLEEN TREPPE
and the other members had to
screen over 300 candidates, an
unusually large number for a
school this size. “Our consult­ing
firm said a college our size
usually gets 75 to 100 appli­cations,”
explains Dr. Stevens.
Dr. Stevens admits th a t he
will be sorry to see President
Lewis leave, although he is
optimistic tha t the committee
will be successful in selecting
a well-qualified president.
“There is a general sense of
regret th a t Lewis is leaving,”
Dr. Stevens says, “because he
is associated with the progress
this school has made in the
last twelve years.” Dr. Stevens
hopes to find a candidate who
has good public relations skills
as well as accessibility to fac­ulty
and students.
In terms of his future with
the college, this history icon
is somewhat uncertain. He
will be eligible for retirement
in four years, but at this time
does not want to retire soon.
However, he does admit tha t
the option to re tire will be
nice. “I enjoy my life here,” he
says, “I could stay another ten
years and be very happy.”
Club Spotlight Pagan Student Union Explores New Realms
MEG ZORN
staff reporter
You may have seen
their signs; 8.5" x 11" fliers
tha t launch into a long list of
spiritual beliefs and religions,
some of which you may know
about, but others which you
may have n ever h e a rd of.
These labels: Shamanism, Na­tive
American Religions, Cer­emonial
Magic, Buddhism,
Hinduism, Voodoun, Wicca,
and D ru id ism , among
others,embody only a cross-section
of the many strains of
beliefs and ideologies you will
find a t the Pagan S tud en t
Union (PSU); many members
have deep roots in th e se
faiths. Several other members
are simply people whose be­liefs
do not specifically fall
under any traditional category
or label but have joined the
group because they like to ex­plore
others’ beliefs and ex­change
ideas with people in a
free and open forum. “I don’t
get judged,” explains senior
Patrick McNabb, “Anyone can
belong to PSU.”
The Pagan Student
Union was begun la st year,
informally, as a group of
friends with similar spiritual
and ideological interests who
wanted to seek out others who
shared those pursuits, as well
as to educate people about
what Paganism truly is. Ironi­cally,
even in their efforts to
establish the club, Pagan stu­dents
were confronted with
opposition and resistance. The
SGA approved PSU’s charter
only after considerable debate
and also by a very narrow
margin of two votes. Most of
the a rguments around the
PSU were c entered on
whether or not the club would
be good for the image of the
school. “Merlin” Hanson, one
of the founders of the club who
stood before the SGA at the
hearing, feels that much ofthe
opposition is rooted in several
elements. For one, many non-
Pagans do not consider Pagan
religions to be truly “legiti­mate”
or as worthy of recog­nition
as more mainstream
religions. Others simply op­pose
a lte rn a tiv e religious
scopes based on fear of Pagan­ism,
mistaking Wiccans and
others for Satanists. “A lot of
people think of us as evil, Sa-tan
-w o rsh ip in g baby-slaughterers,”
says Merlin,
who also maintains tha t if the
SGA had not approved the
PSU charter, he and others
may have taken legal action
against the school.
However, many mem­bers
remain optimistic about
student response to the PSU,
believing tha t much of the stu­dent
body is open-minded and
unprejudiced enough to accept
the club. The group hopes to
promote student acceptance
and understanding of Pagan­ism
by working with other stu­dent
groups on several activi­ties
in the future, including
charity can-food drives, panel
discussions, and o th e r
projects. Upcoming activities
in their agenda include PSU’s
sponsorship of Ghost Day on
October 16th ofAlcohol Aware­ness
Week, where people sym­bolically
assume the personae
of “ghosts” in memory of those
who have died in alcohol- re­lated
accidents. In addition,
the PSU hopes to sponsor a
Halloween panel discussion
intended to educate and pro­mote
interest in the tradi­tions
and roots of the holi­day.
On a more informal
basis, PSU members often
gather at locales and restau­rants
simply to share coffee
and conversation.
The Pagan Student
Union, led by Carolyn Proc­tor,
meets Thursday eve­nings
at 9 o’clock in Lower
Charles Hall, for those inter­ested.
All religious and
sp iritu a l s tra in s are wel­come.
A traditonal Wiccan symbol